Fair enough. I suppose this thread proves that certain individuals really will have their day adversely impacted by not being referred to as “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls”. The irony is that they are the same people accusing others of being oversensitive and too narrowly focused on unimportant issues.
Hush, sir! It’s totally magical. (I’m not even joking.)
It isn't a semantic game, it is the definition of the word, and found in every good dictionary.
Yes, I don't see why we can't all just live and let live. My personal take on this debate is that people are getting offended by Disney trying to be as inclusive as possible rather than actually being offended that they now say "friends" instead of specifying genders or introduce MSEP with "To all who come to this happy place..." instead of "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..." Surely we can put politics and personal views aside for the day and accept that no-one should be made to feel bad or uncomfortable when enjoying a day at a Disney theme park if it can be avoided?
Says who!?!?
You would seriously prefer a CM to greet you by the wrong pronoun than to say “hello friend” ???
You keep saying that, and multiple posters - not just me- have attempted to explain regionalisms.
I haven't heard it explained well. What region would 'friend' be taken wrong? The one person who mentioned it said it relied on the situation and context.
Apparently, there are people who are offended by being called 'friend,' so, I'll believe anything at this point!!
Exactly. It’s all about tone and intent. “Sir” and “ma’am” can also sound curt if said reprovingly.
Usable, yes but a little to regional and homey. The last thing WDW or Disneyland is would be homey.
Or simply... Good evening, afternoon or morning everyone.
WDW aleady uses folks though. BTMRR for one. It is charming in that context.
I think it is incredible how so many people don't even try and understand what is being pointed out here. Friend is OK to us when addressing a crowd not an individual that you don't know. It sounds and feels awkward for a very good reason, it is an improper word to be used like everyone things it should be, with individuals. It's the english language, not something that everyone can just create their own definition of. No one is arguing about it's legitimacy to be use as a greeting to a group of two or more person but it is just as falsely identifying a single person as a friend when they are total strangers.
Yes, and BTMRR is a down home, backwoods type of attraction. It fits there and it really isn't all that awful to use in speaking to more than one person either. It is far more acceptable than Friend would be, but you wouldn't speak to an individual by saying, Hi there folk, would you? The point is not that being called friend is bad, it just needs to be used in a compatible situation and tone. And it is speaking to an individual that this thread is about and where the use is not correct.
My take, having just reread the whole thread, is that most people responding here have said friend merely feels disingenuous, or something along those lines.
I’m referring to what people here themselves have posted. We had a mother share the experience of her teenage daughter, who was repeatedly misgendered and felt very embarrassed as a result. Contrast that with the complaints about “friend”—that it’s fake, creepy, etc. One of those perspectives—the one involving a person’s actual happiness—matters much more to me than the other, which boils down to an inconsequential gripe.
